U.S./World Sports category, Page 110
Column: Golf’s meritocracy means no guarantees for rich scheduleVideo
DUBLIN, Ohio — One week in Ohio was filled with reminders of how valuable meritocracy is to golf. And that was before Tuesday’s shock announcement of the PGA Tour and European tour going from enemies to business partners with Saudi Arabia. Monday was U.S. Open qualifying across 10 sites in...
Novak Djokovic perfect in key tiebreaker, nearly perfect in next set of French Open win
PARIS — Novak Djokovic has come back after dropping a set for the first time in the tournament to beat Karen Khachanov, 4-6, 7-6 (0), 6-2, 6-4, at the French Open on Tuesday to reach his 45th career Grand Slam semifinal. Roger Federer holds the men’s record of 46 appearances...
Novak Djokovic perfect in key tiebreaker at French Open, faces No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz nextVideo
PARIS — Novak Djokovic, in his words, felt “quite sluggish, quite slow” for nearly two full sets against Karen Khachanov in the the French Open quarterfinals Tuesday. Afterward, Djokovic called it his worst stretch of the tournament, a fair assessment. He dropped the opening set, something he hadn’t done at...
PGA, LIV golfers react to merger of rival leagues: ‘Nothing like finding out through Twitter’
It was almost a year ago to the day that Saudi Arabia’s LIV Golf teed off for the first time as the PGA Tour’s newest rival, flush with defectors from golf’s top circuit. Morals were questioned. Lawsuits were filed. Golfers doubled down on their affiliations. A merger, it seemed, wasn’t...
PGA Tour, Europe to merge with Saudis and end LIV Golf litigationVideo
The PGA Tour ended its expensive fight with Saudi Arabia’s golf venture and now is joining forces with it, making a stunning announcement Tuesday of a merger that creates a commercial operation with the Public Investment Fund and the European tour. As part of the deal, the sides immediately are...
Heat on comeback run like few others in this year’s NBA playoffsVideo
MIAMI — The easiest way to explain what the Miami Heat are doing in the comeback department during these playoffs is simply to put up their numbers against the rest of the league. When facing a deficit of at least 12 points this postseason: • The Heat are 7-6. •...
Column: Penske rolls into Le Mans on top of motor sports seeking evasive 1st winVideo
LE MANS, France — Roger Penske won the Indianapolis 500 on a Sunday and celebrated Josef Newgarden’s thrilling win as if it was the first for Team Penske, not a record-stretching 19th for The Captain. He watched on his cellphone as Ryan Blaney won the Coca-Cola 600 on a Monday,...
Coco Gauff wins to set up French Open rematch vs. Iga Swiatek in quartersVideo
PARIS — Coco Gauff could have hoped for the easy way out. Ever since the French Open bracket determined that the 19-year-old Floridian might end up in a quarterfinal against Iga Swiatek, perhaps it would have been understandable if Gauff wished to avoid that particular matchup. After all, Gauff lost...
NCAA champ Rose Zhang arrives on LPGA Tour with big hopes and leaves with a trophy
The first words from Rose Zhang after the 20-year-old Californian capped off one of the more remarkable 13-day stretches in golf were telling. “What is happening?” she said. More tantalizing is what happens next. Hype rules the day in a society built around social media, and Zhang is one of...
Series tied: Heat roar back in the 4th quarter, beat Nuggets in Game 2 of NBA FinalsVideo
DENVER — Staring down a 2-0 deficit in the NBA Finals, as the visitors in a hostile arena where no road team had prevailed in more than two months, the Miami Heat decided to do what they’ve done throughout the postseason. They found a way. Against all odds. Again. The...
Viktor Hovland delivers clutch putts and wins Memorial in playoffVideo
DUBLIN, Ohio — Viktor Hovland was happy with his three PGA Tour victories, even if they were at resort courses that were soft and susceptible to firing at flags. He wanted a win on American soil, where par was at a premium, and he got every bit of that Sunday...
Kyle Busch holds off Denny Hamlin for NASCAR Cup Series win outside St. Louis
MADISON, Ill. — Kyle Busch held off Denny Hamlin through a series of late restarts to win the chaotic, caution-filled NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway just outside of St. Louis in overtime Sunday. Bubba Wallace brought out the 11th and final yellow when his brake rotor...
Alex Palou wins Detroit Grand Prix in IndyCar’s return to downtown trackVideo
DETROIT — Alex Palou went from critic to champion in a day. He started and finished first in the Detroit Grand Prix on Sunday, roughly 24 hours after the IndyCar points leader said the street course was too tight and short for the series. “It was a lot better than...
Carlos Alcaraz likes to watch replays of his best shots, faces Stefanos Tsitsipas at French OpenVideo
PARIS — Some friendly advice, sports fans: If Carlos Alcaraz is playing, do not look away. Even for a moment. Because it’s likely he’ll conjure up some sort of highlight-worthy mix of ability, athleticism and awareness that drops the jaw. Anyone who’s watched him play lately knows this. Anyone who’s...
Las Vegas ballpark pitch revives debate over public funding for sports stadiums
CARSON CITY, Nev. — Gov. Joe Lombardo wants to help build Major League Baseball’s smallest ballpark, arguing that the worst team in baseball can boost Las Vegas, a city striving to call itself a sports mecca. Debate about public funding for private sports clubs has been revived with the Oakland...
Coco Gauff, 19, comes back to beat Russia’s Mirra Andreeva, 16, at the French OpenVideo
PARIS — Not all that long ago, Coco Gauff was always the kid on the court, the unknown underdog, younger and less experienced than every opponent she faced on a big stage. Now, still just 19, Gauff is well-versed in the professional tennis tour, already a Grand Slam runner-up in...
Heat looking to get to the line more, while Nuggets vow to be better in Game 2Video
DENVER — For the Miami Heat, shooting at Denver’s mile-high altitude during Game 1 of the NBA Finals wasn’t a problem. Not shooting from 15 feet — the distance from the basket to the free-throw line — was. The Heat made NBA history — and not the good kind —...
Corey LaJoie gets long-awaited Hendrick Motorsports shot in NASCAR Cup SeriesVideo
MADISON, Ill. — Corey LaJoie finally is getting a chance to drive for Hendrick Motorsports this week. He wanted so badly to drive for the team a few years ago, that when it became common knowledge Jimmie Johnson was retiring as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series driver, LaJoie used his...
Suh, Matsuyama ride hot putts on steamy day at the MemorialVideo
DUBLIN, Ohio — Justin Suh signed for a 6-under-par 66 at the Memorial and then made a few stops to speak with the media. His putter stayed with him the entire time, which probably was wise. The way it behaved Friday, when he holed eight putts from the 10-foot range...
Mile-High NBA advantage: Denver altitude helps Nuggets go unbeaten at home in playoffsVideo
DENVER — Joking around before the start of the NBA Finals, Charles Barkley and Grant Hill took hits from oxygen masks they brought onto the set for a pregame TV show. But the thin air in Denver is no joke. There’s a reason it’s known as the Mile High City....
Churchill Downs implements safety, performance standards to address recent spate of horse deathsVideo
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Horse racing’s oversight authority and Churchill Downs have each announced additional safety and health measures in the wake of 12 recent deaths since late April at the home of the Kentucky Derby. The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) will conduct additional post-entry screening of horses to...
Jokic gets triple-double, Nuggets roll past Heat 104-93 in Game 1 of NBA FinalsVideo
DENVER — Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets were facing some questions going into their first NBA Finals, and their answers came in resounding fashion. No, a week and a half off didn’t hurt them. And, no, the NBA’s biggest stage isn’t too big, either. Jokic got a triple-double in...
Riley avoids big numbers for 67 on tough day at MemorialVideo
DUBLIN, Ohio — Davis Riley opened with a 67 at the Memorial to finish atop the leaderboard after the opening round for the second straight year. And that’s where the similarities end. Riley birdied three of his last four holes Thursday afternoon when the turf was firm and the wind...
U.S. Soccer’s Nations League roster includes Folarin Balogun’s first call-upVideo
LOS ANGELES — Two days after B.J. Callaghan was officially being named interim U.S. men’s national team coach, he called up his first roster Thursday, inviting 24 players to training camp at Dignity Health Sports Park to prepare for the final four of the CONCACAF Nations League later this month...
Mirra Andreeva, a teen who doesn’t like homework, wins easily at French OpenVideo
PARIS — Mirra Andreeva is the latest teen sensation in tennis, a 16-year-old Russian who is the youngest player to win a match in the women’s main draw at the French Open since 2005. Do the math: That’s before she was born. The 143rd-ranked Andreeva made her way through qualifying...
